Notes From The Village: August
Oh, hello!
August is Read-a-Romance Month! Naturally, in our case, we're interpreting "romance" rather loosely.
Because some of our favorite love stories aren't simply about two people falling hopelessly into one another's arms. They're about writers falling hopelessly for New York City. A favorite bar. 14th Street at sunset. A skating rink. Hot dogs at Howard Johnson's. And yes, occasionally, spectacularly ill-suited literary types making questionable decisions together in Greenwich Village. Now that’s our kind of romance.
So consider this month's Notes from the Village our literary love letter to New York. 💌 To the writers who loved it, the stories it inspired, and the strange little places that keep us falling for it all over again.
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten …
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.
— EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
This Month in the Village…
✨ For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:
On Our Nightstands…
💔 Eric's Epic Guide to Romance
This month, Eric has been exploring the gloriously melodramatic world of romance comics from the 1940s–70s: a time when falling in love apparently required exquisite hair, several catastrophic misunderstandings, and at least one woman weeping dramatically into her hands.
While we can't promise relationship advice, we can promise gripping storylines.
LIT Lore
🌭 A Village Meet-Cute
Jack Kerouac and Joyce Johnson's romance began, as all great romances do, with Allen Ginsberg calling a 21-year-old Johnson and asking her to feed his broke friend.
They met at the Howard Johnson's at Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue, where she bought Kerouac two hot dogs. He later called what followed "perhaps the best love affair I ever had."
Move over, When Harry Met Sally.
💌 Writers in (and out of) Love with New York
For generations, writers have been inspired by their experiences in New York, and some of them left us the books to prove it:
• Hart Crane — The Bridge 🌉
Crane transformed the Brooklyn Bridge into something almost mythic: a symbol of modern America, possibility, history, and the dizzying city rising around him.
• Willa Cather — Coming, Aphrodite! 🎨
Artists, ambition, desire, and bohemian Greenwich Village collide in Cather's story of two neighbors whose attraction competes with their determination to become something more.
• Federico García Lorca — Poet in New York 🌃
Not exactly a valentine. Lorca's encounter with New York produced something darker and stranger: a surreal portrait of a city that fascinated, overwhelmed, and disturbed him.
• Jack Kerouac — Lonesome Traveler 🧳
Who describes that feeling when you return to the city perfectly: “I settled down to […] long walks around beloved old Manhattan a half hour subway ride away. I roamed the streets, the bridges, Times Square, cafeterias, the waterfront, I looked up all my poet beatnik friends and roamed with them, I had love affairs with girls in the Village, I did everything with that great mad joy you get when you return to New York City.”
We know the feeling.
Upcoming Tours
The Village has been the setting for great novels, terrible dates, passionate affairs, artistic revolutions, and more than a few nights best left to literary history.
• 🍻 Literary Pub Crawl
Walk the streets of Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Millay, Baldwin, and more. Hear their stories where they lived, wrote, loved, argued, and occasionally drank.
• ✒️ Greenwich Village Writers Walk
A walking tour—fewer spirits (well, of the alcoholic sort). Ideal for those who prefer their wit neat.
Come wander with with us!
From the Stacks…
Want more love triangles, secret affairs, and spectacularly questionable decisions? Enjoy some of our wacky literary wanderings on Substack...
• The Strange Literary History of Valentine's Day 💌 Saints, she-wolves, Chaucer, suffragettes, vinegar valentines, and a few unsettling mating rituals. Romance has always been weirder than the greeting-card aisle would have you believe.
→ Read: Do You Know the Real (Literary) History Behind Valentine's Day?
• A Reading List to Romanticize Your Life ✨ Not necessarily romance novels—just books that make the world feel a little more beautiful, curious, whimsical, or worth lingering in.
→ Explore: A Reading List to Romanticize Your Life
New York, I Love You…
🎬 And a special treat for those who read through to the end…a few romantic-ish films that feature NYC in iconic ways:
• When Harry Met Sally...
Autumn in New York, bookstores, Katz's, Central Park—and perhaps the definitive argument for falling in love with your best friend.
• Moonstruck
Brooklyn brownstones, the Met, moonlight, opera, and gloriously messy people behaving gloriously messily.
• You've Got Mail
Bookstores, the Upper West Side, Riverside Park, and New York at its most unapologetically cozy.
• Splash
Who doesn’t love a mermaid who names herself after Madison Avenue? Iconic.
• Fatal Attraction
Manhattan apartments, illicit affairs, terrible decisions, and a compelling reminder that perhaps some romances are better left unread.
• Rosemary's Baby
Marriage, Manhattan real estate, meddling neighbors, and a gentle reminder to always read the fine print before moving into your dream apartment.
• Ghostbusters
‘Nuff said. ❓📞🚫👻❤️🍕🧪
NOTES FROM THE VILLAGE: JULY
July, 2026 | Lit Pub Crawl Newsletter
Oh, hello Subscriber First Name!
This month, we're celebrating the words that helped shape a nation, the stories that continue to shape us, and a few books we'd happily carry in our bags for the rest of summer.
Join us this Saturday as we celebrate the writers, artists, and revolutionaries who helped shape America right here in the heart of New York City. We'll raise a glass to revolution at the legendary Marie's Crisis and honor the legacy of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers and luminaries of progress, Thomas Paine, whose works like Common Sense and The American Crisis inspired ordinary people to reimagine what liberty means.
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."
— Thomas Paine
As we commemorate 250 years as a nation, we'll celebrate Paine's enduring belief that the pursuit of reason, liberty, and democracy belongs to everyone.
This Month in the Village…
✨ For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:
LITERARY DATES TO REMEMBER IN JULY
Upcoming Tours
🍻 Literary Pub Crawl
Walk the streets of Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Baldwin, Millay, Paine, and more. Hear their stories where they lived, loved, argued, and occasionally drank.
✒️ Greenwich Village Writers Walk
A walking tour—fewer spirits (well, of the alcoholic sort). Ideal for those who prefer their wit neat.
On Our Nightstands…
☀️ The Books We Return To Every Summer
Some books simply belong to the summer season.
Whether they're reread for the tenth time, or finally pulled from the shelf after years of good intentions, or comfort reads thrown into beach bags, these are the stories our guides keep coming back to.
From the Archives…
Enjoy some of our wacky literary wanderings...
✂️ Burroughs, Cut-Ups & the Occult: Beat writers, occult experiments, accidental masterpieces... and perhaps more drugs than anyone should reasonably encounter in one lifetime. Dive into William S. Burroughs' wonderfully alluring cut-up technique, and maybe try creating a few literary accidents of your own!
🎃 Summerween Is a Lifestyle Choice: When July gets too hot, our thoughts inevitably drift toward ravens, ghost stories, and crisp October evenings. Discover the surprising connection between Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe, learn the origins of the elusive Summerween holiday, and consider whether carving a raven into a watermelon might actually be a perfectly reasonable weekend activity for July.
A Little Village Lore
(Just a little bonus for the curious readers who read all the way through!)
Did You Know?
Thomas Paine is remembered as one of America's Founding Fathers, yet he never signed the Declaration of Independence.
Instead, his influence came through his pen. Months before Congress adopted the Declaration, Common Sense persuaded thousands of colonists that independence wasn't just possible—it was necessary. (If you're a Hamilton fan, you've already encountered many of Paine's revolutionary ideas woven throughout the story—we see you Angelica in “The Schuyler Sisters”). 📜🪶⭐️👆🏼🗽
Sadly, Paine's own story ended quite differently. Despite helping inspire a revolution, he died in relative obscurity in 1809, with only a handful of mourners attending his funeral.
Of course... that's only part of the tale. There are a few more delightfully strange twists to Paine's afterlife that we'll save for the tour. 🍻
Thank you…
Join us this month and celebrate the writers whose words continue to shape New York.
🎟️ Use code COMMONSENSE to join the revolution!
Here's to the writers who remind us that words can change the world. Stay curious. And a little bohemian.
We hope to see you in the Village soon!
NOTES FROM THE VILLAGE: June
June, 2026 | Lit Pub Crawl Newsletter
Oh, hello Reader!
June has arrived, bringing with it the perfect NYC weather for sunset strolls and reading in Bryant Park, Union Square, or whatever hearty green patch currently holds your heart!
It's also Pride Month and Rainbow Book Month.
Here in the Village, these celebrations are embedded in the very streets we walk. Around nearly every corner, you'll find traces of writers, artists, activists, and dreamers who helped reshape American literature and, in many cases, American culture itself.
This month, we're taking a moment to celebrate a few of the voices that continue to echo through the Village.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-James BaldwinThis Month in the Village…
✨ For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:
Upcoming Tours
Whether you're joining us for a Literary Pub Crawl, a Writers Walk, or simply wandering the Village with a good book in hand, June is one of our favorite times of year to explore the neighborhood.
We also offer private tours throughout the year, depending on availability. If none of the scheduled dates work for you, we'd love to help arrange something special.
From the Archives…
Our latest literary rabbit hole takes us into the world of author feuds, late-night television, and the occasional bruised ego.
From Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal's infamous showdown to Mary McCarthy's unforgettable critique of Lillian Hellman, we're revisiting some of the most memorable literary clashes ever to unfold before a national audience.
On Our Nightstands…
This month we're celebrating some of the LGBTQ+ writers whose stories remain intertwined with Greenwich Village.
You may know James Baldwin's essays, W.H. Auden's poetry, or Edna St. Vincent Millay's fiercely independent voice. But their connections to the Village—and to one another—reveal an even richer literary landscape.
Thank you…
Join us this month for inspiration!
🎟️ Use code READTHERAINBOW to get into the spirit with us.
Stay curious. Stay a little bohemian. We’ll see you out there!
NOTES FROM THE VILLAGE: May
May, 2026 | Lit Pub Crawl Newsletter
Oh, hello Subscriber First Name!
We love May. Not only is it the perfect weather for a stroll in Greenwich Village… it’s National Get Caught Reading Month!
We hope you get caught (reading!) as much as possible. We’ve gathered a few fun literary things to keep you company along the way.
“The map of The Village is a pattern of crudetriangles, their points meeting at Sheridan,at Abingdon, Jefferson or Father Demo Square.Outlines of those chunks of ancient earthwere cow paths when Greenwich was—no, beforeit was—uptown. When it was farms, andbeyond them to the north, simply wilderness.”
— May Swenson, “Third Floor Walk-up”
May in the Village…
✨ For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:
May: A Month to Get Caught Reading and other notable literary dates
Upcoming Tours in May
Starting this month, we’re adding a few new ways to wander:
Now offering the GREENWICH VILLAGE WRITERS WALK on Thursdays (May 21 & 28)
— A long literary lunch (12 pm)
— A “happy hour” ramble (4 pm)
— A sunset stroll (7 pm)
For those who prefer a quieter pace, a different light, or simply an excuse to spend more time in good literary company.
🍻 LITERARY PUB CRAWL | Every Saturday at 2 pm (~2.5-3 hrs)
Walk the streets of Fitzgerald, Kerouac & Millay. Hear their stories where they wrote them. Drink where they drank.
✒️ GREENWICH VILLAGE WRITERS WALK | Select Thursdays & Saturdays at 11:00 am (~90 minutes)
A walking tour—fewer spirits (well, of the alcoholic sort). Ideal for those who prefer their wit neat.
We also regularly host PRIVATE TOURS, depending on availability, so if none of these dates work for you, give us a shout!
Upcoming Tours
A Few Familiar Faces (and Some New Ones)…
You may spot a few new (and returning) guides in the Village this month—
Anna is back (to our great delight), and
Maks continues to charm unsuspecting groups with acrobatic ease!
If you’d like to meet them before the tour, you can read a bit more here:
Anna and Maks
From the Archives…
A few recent wanderings from our corner of the literary world:
The Buzz: Why Keep Going? for a glimpse into why we do what we do!
Literary Death Match: Sherlock Holmes v. Dean Moriarty
Be on the lookout for: “OnomatoPOEia” on Substack later this week! If you don’t follow us there yet, please subscribe! :)
On Our Nightstands…
A highly unscientific survey of what’s currently tucked into our guides’ bags:
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones
In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien
Thank you…
Join us this month for inspiration!
🎟️ Use code GETCAUGHT
Stay curious. Stay a little bohemian. We’ll see you out there!
NOTES FROM THE VILLAGE: April
28th Anniversary Edition | Lit Pub Crawl Newsletter
Oh, hello!
April, fittingly, is National Poetry Month — and our birthday! 🥳
We’ve been haunting the Village and keeping the Bohemian spirit alive for 28 years now!
This month, we’re proudly raising a glass to 28 years of stories, ~560,037 footsteps (we did the math), and a healthy dose of literary mischief.
April in the Village…
For those of you who keep time by books instead of clocks:
April: National Poetry Month & Other notable literary dates
Upcoming Tours
APRIL, 2026
LITERARY PUB CRAWL | Every Saturday at 2 pm (~2.5-3 hrs)
Walk the streets of Fitzgerald, Kerouac & Millay. Hear their stories. Drink where they drank. (Some things never go out of style.)
GREENWICH VILLAGE WRITERS WALK | Select Saturdays at 11:00 am (~90 minutes)
A quieter wandering: same stories, fewer spirits (well, of the alcoholic sort). Ideal for those who prefer their wit neat.
Sneak Preview for our Subscribers
Starting in May, we’ll be offering additional short tours with more time slots on weekdays for those of you who prefer to avoid the crowds or meander at sunset! If you have an author or a topic you really love, give us a shout!
From the Archives…
A few recent wanderings from our corner of the literary world:
On the strange and delightful origins of words like cyberspace and butterfingers
A brief investigation into what, exactly, counts as BRAT lit (answers may vary)
A Women’s History Month reading list, because the canon could always use a little rearranging
Eric’s recent recommendations, offered with conviction and minimal apology (and only a few typos)
And, naturally, our own twist on Summerween
On Our Nightstands…
A highly unscientific survey of what’s currently tucked into our guides’ bags:
The Stand, by Stephen King
Passing, by Nella Larsen
The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin
All's Well, by Mona Awad
Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
Thank you…
Join us this month and see what’s still lingering in the streets.
🎟️ Use code VILLAGE28 for a little anniversary cheer 🎉
Stay curious. Stay a little bohemian. We’ll see you out there!